Kidderminster zoologist talks evolution on BBC4 show

A KIDDERMINSTER zoologist will be making his first television appearance as a guest on a new BBC4 series about bones.

Nick Crumpton, a former King Charles I School head boy, will be discussing evolution with Secrets of Bones host Ben Garrod in the second episode to be aired on Tuesday.

Mr Crumpton, who recently completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge, will be talking about convergent evolution, which is when different animals evolve adaptations that look alike to deal with the same sort of environments.

He said: "I'm really excited about the series starting. Ben's a fascinating guy whose enthusiasm about his work is completely infectious, and he's going to be on our screens a lot more following Secrets of Bones.

"I have a feeling people are going to get a lot more out of visits to museums after watching him explain why the vertebrate skeleton has been such an evolutionary success."

The six-part series follows evolutionary biologist and master skeleton builder Ben Garrod looking at how bones have enabled vertebrates to colonise and dominate nearly every habitat on earth.

Mr Crumpton added: "Being a zoologist, any chance to do anything with the BBC's Natural History Unit is a dream.

"For most of us, watching episodes of Wildlife on One and obviously any of the Attenborough oeuvre were the first drivers into biology.

"And so the chance to tell thousands of people at once about what makes us excited about the natural world is an opportunity to give something back.

"I was nervous walking into the studio, but soon I was just wandering around checking out all the skeletons scattered around.

"Of course having lights, a microphone, and a camera in your face is always going to be a little off-putting, but it helped I was just nerding out with my friend.

"Ben and I know each other because the sort of zoology we do is quite similar, and it's surreal seeing him talk with the same excitement and ease about his passion on a TV as he does with his friends down the pub."